<p>My family isn't doing very well financially, and my parents cannot really spare any money on me, except for basic things such as food. I could cover enough for clothing and things I need for myself and also help save up for college (which is also really important) if I got a part-time job on the weekends and/or afterschool. It'll be a bit of a hassle as I'll be busy with APs and volunteer work and things I'm interested in and "me" time, but it'll help my family out so much. The only reason I haven't gotten one yet is because my cousin told me that I'll get less financial aid if I have a job, and that seems sort of backwards to me. :( Is this true? I'm really counting on any and all financial aid I get for college because I cannot afford much and I don't want to look forward to high student loans. Thank you for your help, and I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place - I'm new here. :) I'm going to be a junior this September, if that helps.</p>
<p>You can earn about $6,000 per year and it won’t affect your aid.</p>
<p>However, if you were to save that money and have it in your bank acct on the day you file FAFSA, then it could lessen your aid. If you need to save any of the money, give it to your parents to pay for expenses, and then have them give you the money later for school.</p>
<p>That said, be aware that most schools do not have much money to give for financial aid, so much will depend on where you apply when it comes to aid. Federal aid isn’t much.</p>
<p>Thank you! So if I just didn’t keep that money in a bank account, it wouldn’t be a problem?</p>
<p>I’m looking towards schools with big endowments or state schools with lower tuitions, mostly schools with good financial aids. :)</p>
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<p>No, you can’t keep it under your mattress either! As the post above suggested, lend your savings to your parents before you fill out FAFSA next January, so that you don’t have significant cash or savings to report. It’ll be reported as a parent asset, which will have a much smaller impact on your expected financial contribution for college. They can give the money back to you later.</p>
<p>If you set up a joint account with one of your parents, you can put the money there and it will count under the parent’s assets.</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone. :)</p>